Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Wisdom Lavoe, has raised concerns over the increasing cases of child trafficking in the region.
He explained that the Northern Region continues to record a significant number of child trafficking incidents, a situation he described as deeply worrying for the police.
Addressing journalists at a training programme organised by the International Justice Mission (IJM) in Tamale, DCOP Lavoe noted that many of the children who become victims are very young and unaware of their destination or the circumstances they are being taken into.
“You will see children aged 10 and 11 being trafficked to other parts of the country and made to engage in hard labour or child labour, as we call it. In fact, if you have encountered one of these cases, you will understand the bitterness of the issue I am talking about.
“Sometimes, a full truck is loaded with these children with only one person accompanying them, or sometimes nobody at all, only the driver, because someone is at the receiving end waiting to receive the children,” he said.
The Northern Regional Police Commander observed that trafficked children often face extreme hardship, including hunger, disease, and other dangers. Due to the seriousness of the situation, he revealed that the police have established a dedicated unit to handle child trafficking cases.
“The police have designated a full unit called the Child Trafficking Unit, purposely to handle some of these cases, and there is a directorate responsible for that,” he said.
DCOP Lavoe expressed dismay at the prevalence of child trafficking and described it as a disturbing social problem. He appealed to journalists and all stakeholders to join forces in combating the menace.
The National Director of Advocacy and Partnership at the International Justice Mission (IJM), Worlanyo Forster, said their work focuses on fighting human trafficking, particularly cases involving children.
He said IJM is working closely with stakeholders to rescue children from forced labour, provide support and care for survivors, and ensure that perpetrators face justice.
Mr Worlanyo added that IJM collaborates with law enforcement agencies to rescue children from trafficking situations and provides training for police personnel to strengthen their capacity in handling such cases.
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